“We’re at a turning point in video surveillance,” said Dean Drako, CEO, Eagle Eye Networks, during his opening remarks — The Future of the Industry VMS — at the 2024 Cloud Security Summit. Drako went on to say that he believes our industry is going to be among the most affected by artificial intelligence (AI). The event — Eagle Eye and Brivo’s 8th summit — was held in Austin, Texas at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa. The event hosted over 20 technology partners, and was reportedly the most well attended summit with over 300 dealers and integrators.

Brivo and Eye Eye believe that in the near future, security integrators will no longer be selling a video management system (VMS). Instead, they will be selling a smart video system where potential problems are detected and resolved automatically. The system will detect weapons, unauthorized entry, liquid spills, slips and falls, detecting lost or left items, and voice talk downs when events trigger a response.

The Summit’s Sessions

Broken into separate tracks — like ‘Executive,’ ‘Sale & Marketing,’ and more, the event featured over 55 sessions for attendees. Some, like War Stories From the Back Office: What to Know as You Grow — hosted by: Lon Bazelais, founder and president, Grid Squared Systems; Chris Gilbert, founder, Security Pros LLC; and Dan Katz, vice president of Americas sales, Brivo — focused on the hosts sharing insights into oversights that will hopefully prevent attendees from making the same mistakes.

A particularly interesting session offered this year was the Real Stories. Real Customers. Real Deals, which featured success stories shared straight from the horse’s mouth. In one session, Robyn Powell, vice president of information technology, HOTWORX, discussed the integration of Brivo’s credentials into the company’s app and POS. Powell even detailed a location in Las Vegas that tragically lost its owner and had no replacement in sight. Powell said Brivo’s tech enabled them to operate for months despite being unstaffed.

Talking Tech

Steve Van Till’s keynote, titled The New Security, laid out the state of the industry as he sees it. Van Till said security has become more mainstream, but it has also become more software- and IT-driven. It seems Van Till has the same vision of AI’s effect on the industry. He said that the cloud took approximately 20 years to disrupt the old way of doing things, IP video took 15, mobile credentials took five, and that AI has taken just two years.

Van Till also noted that users have become inundated with apps and logins for every function and every capability of everything in their lives. That said, Brivo and Eagle Eye have their eye on consolidation.

In Drako’s opening statement, he laid out what AI means for the integrator. In his opinion, its increased capabilities for actionable data and immediate response is going to drive the need for more cameras as well as more consultation. To get the proper solution for the customer, integrators will have greater opportunity for configurations and automation — and in Drako’s opinion, more revenue.

These capabilities include what Drako called “multi-variable” AI — analysis that involves multiple cameras across a period of time that can only be done in the cloud. For example, this analysis can tell the difference between your cameras and alert you of any differences or malfunctions. This will also involve many sensors, which when combined allows AI to present the user with information about the pathing of individuals flagged by the system.

Some attendees have already found interesting applications for Brivo and Eagle Eye’s AI technology. For example, Joe Covello, chief operating officer and owner, Sanico USA, utilizes the tech to detect when workers are not following safety guidelines on construction sites. This presents serious safety advantages and cost savings to end users

Offerings On Display

Brivo and Eagle Eye also hosted the Product Lab, which featured a sneak peak at the companies’ new tech as well as demos from the companies’ tech partners. Brivo and Eagle Eye spotlighted the companies’ Eagle Eye 911 Camera Sharing — a new solution that gives emergency communications center (ECC) telecommunicators instant access to security cameras during an emergency, empowering them to deliver critical incident information to first responders.

Another offering on display was the new Eagle Eye Cabinets — a solution that enables integrators to install Eagle Eye Cloud video surveillance anywhere. All cabinets include weatherproof enclosures and a cellular modem to ensure they’re always accessible through the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS. And finally the Eagle Eye Complete — a subscription-based purchasing program that allows dealers and integrators to buy video surveillance hardware as an operating expenditure instead of a full upfront capital expenditure.

While the companies laid out their product roadmap — detailing technically how they’ll be implementing and improving their AI capabilities, it was clear from the start that the focus was on the channel. Both how the tech will benefit them, but also the community and how the dealers and integrators can benefit each other. “The energy comes from the partners,” said John Szczygiel, chief operating officer, Brivo. “I saw three integrators from Manhattan that should be competitors talking about times they’ve backed each other up. They’re helping each other.”